While the appearance of the actual cake part looks just like what you’d expect of a nougat cake, those stripey bits on top look so unnaturally bright they are almost off putting [think ‘toxic’]. However, just as expected of Gramme nothing could be further from the truth, as they turned out to be this cake’s X factor. They are actually candied grapefruit peel, adding a slightly bitter twist.

As Gramme’s pastry chef is a master of ratios, their pastries never end up being exactly sweet, a feat that in itself alone is pretty hard to accomplish in a nougat cake but I’d say the predominant things this nougat provençal cake has going on are alcohol, nuts & citrus. Along with the sweet-bitter grapefruit peel, it’s the ample amount of nougatine that distinguishes Gramme’s nougat cake from others.

It’s amazing how Gramme always find a way of putting their own stamp on classics in the most unpretentious way ever.